looking at the world outside
by mumbleby
Summary: Detective Uchiha is out to find the people who killed his old partner. The enigmatic Uzumaki Naruto may hold the key to all his answers...if Sasuke can crack through his defensive shell. SasuNaru.
1. Prologue

**looking at the world outside**  
><em>by ashly<em>

summary: Detective Uchiha is out to find the people who killed his old partner. The enigmatic Uzumaki Naruto may hold the key to all his answers...if Sasuke can crack through his defensive shell. SasuNaru.

disclaimer: i don't claim to own Naruto because...i don't. simple enough, right?

rating: pg-13 for the moment, may go up later

a/n: there's some added warnings to this fic so beware! Sasuke as a police detective is just yummy though XD

warnings!: a/u, drug abuse, illegal handling of weapons, swearing, more swearing, death (although not a main character), mild child abuse, angst, character bashing, sap, some ooc, limey (.) Just about anything you'd find in a gritty detective novel, but toned down a little.…Also unbeata'd for the moment.

**prologue**

Sasuke's partner had been dead for five hours before he managed to get to the scene of the crime. He'd been on a date with some girl whose face he couldn't even remember anymore. He still couldn't get over that. He'd been on a _date _with a girl and now he couldn't remember her hair colour, her eyes, hell, even her name was forgotten at this point. Everything else had just been swept from his mind as soon as he'd answered that phone call.

"Detective Uchiha? There's a message from Headquarters for you. It's about your partner…" What had followed amounted to one singular fact. They'd danced around the subject for a good ten minutes but that fact had remained the same. His partner had been murdered.

He'd ditched the girl, throwing down a few notes to cover the bill as he left the restaurant and drove back to his home, mindlessly putting his car to its limit in his race to get to his house. His engine had barely had time to cool before he was exiting the house again, changed into his uniform and sliding back into the driver's seat.

Now, standing in the doorway to his partner's – _his friend's _– living room, Sasuke had to hold back a shudder as he looked at the state of everything. Neji would have hated to see what had happened to his apartment. The potted plant Sasuke had bought for a joke on Neji's twenty-fifth birthday was upended, the ceramic plant pot smashed and dirt covered Neji's pristine cream carpet.

Not that the bloody trail leading to the balcony hadn't ruined the carpet anyway but the added dirt would've driven Neji insane, not to mention that the plant was probably dead now. It couldn't be anything but really with its stem snapped in half like that.

The books that Neji had so treasured were torn and spread about the room, layering everything with the printed page of some medical journal or other. Sasuke could still remember his partner telling him that he was going to quit being a Detective one day and become an acupuncturist or some other ridiculous such thing.

_"I want to help people Uchiha, not just arrest them and throw them in jail. Do you really think spending a few years in prison is going to help these guiltless thugs? I want to help change their destiny…" _

Shaking his head of the past Sasuke walked further in the room only to be stopped by Sergeant Kakashi who stared at him with one raised eye, the other hidden behind the eye patch he wore at all times. Sasuke scowled at the older man and tried to walk around him only to be stopped again.

"Where do you think you're going Detective Uchiha?" The grey-haired man drawled, making the statement sound twice as long as it was. Sasuke could never understand how Kakashi could make everything sound so much more boring that it actually was. Even when he'd been learning from the older man as a rookie cop it had baffled him to no end.

"I'm here to see the body," Sasuke finally replied, settling back on his heels and levelling Kakashi with a determined look. He was not going to be moved before he could get a look at Neji, they'd been partners together for _three years _damn it.

"Are you?" The Sergeant replied, his voice dripping with…was that derision? Sasuke bristled even as he tried to keep himself calm. He wasn't going to get anywhere if he let his anger get away from him. Why couldn't the other man just let him pass already?

"Yes I am, and you're not going to stop me," Sasuke stated before he finally shouldered past the other man. He ignored the fact that Kakashi had moved anyway and finally stepped into the room that he'd been in countless times before.

"You're not going to like it," Kakashi warned, even as he moved to the other side of the room to give Sasuke some privacy. The young Detective just snorted, he didn't like any of this. Why not add more things to hate to the mixture?

It looked so different, without a particular long-haired man lounging on the white sofa turning a page of some book-or-other, or sitting primly by the grand piano, ready to show off his skills to the ready listener. Not that Sasuke liked classical music but he could stomach a few songs now and then for Neji.

It felt like a dead weight dropped into his stomach when he realised that he'd never hear his friend play for him again.

Damn it, this was not how things were supposed to go. Neji was supposed to leave police work _willingly. _Just...not like this. Anything but this...

Narrowing his eyes Sasuke swept his gaze over the upturned sofa, the piano with the deep gauges in it, and the gauzy curtains which swayed slightly in the breeze from the window. The morning sun was just beginning to cascade into the room, lighting on the broken glass that led out to the balcony.

That balcony had been Neji's proud and joy. Now it was his coffin.

Smirking slightly at the morbid thought Sasuke took a fortifying breath before he took the last step and then he was there, standing just next to the curtains that caressed his skin.

He couldn't stop the gasp that escaped his mouth but he did stifle it, putting his hand to his mouth and smothering any other sounds with his white glove. It helped to keep the smell at bay as well. The body hadn't been moved at his request – and probably Kakashi's as well, though he was loathe to admit it – and that meant that everything was exactly as it had been when the murderer had left the scene.

The broken glass that littered his feet gave a pretty clear entrance point, the balcony doors had been completely shattered, only jagged edges remained and some of the shards were covered in a red substance. Sasuke bent slightly to confirm it was blood, his mouth lengthening into a frown as he straightened again and finally focused on the body in front of him.

Neji had always been a pale bastard but now…If possible he looked whiter than the paint beneath him and Sasuke had been there when his partner had bought the damn stuff from the DIY shop. 'Super White' it had said on the tin but it failed to match up with the colour of Neji's face post-mortem.

His lips were a pale pink, a washed out rose and his clothes looked like they'd been splashed with paint by a mentally-unstable abstract artist. His usual gray-and-white outfit was covered in crimson, centring around his chest where Sasuke could see the the entry point where the bullet had entered his partner's body.

Kneeling down next to the body Sasuke carefully took off his white gloves and replaced them with his latex ones, reaching out slowly to trail his hand along his friend's body, pulling at his loose t-shirt to look underneath at the pale skin. The skin was reddened in places and Sasuke was sure bruising would show up, the discoloration would be obvious if he gave it a few hours.

But he didn't have a few hours. His friend had been killed and he'd been on _date. _

The guilt swamped him for a moment before he pushed it back. He had work to do. He could grieve later when his friend's killer was locked up and behind bars. And put there by him, Uchiha Sasuke, he wasn't going to let anyone else beat him to the son-of-a-bitch who killed Sasuke's friend, his _best _friend and only partner.

"Time of death is estimated at around twelve-thirty this morning Sir." A voice said from above him and Sasuke nodded to confirm he'd heard, moving his hand slightly as his attention caught on something sticking out of his friend's pocket.

"We have a witness who says he saw Mr. Hyuuga enter the building at eleven o'clock, in keeping with when he clocked off work at ten-thirty. His name is…" the voice paused as the Officer checked the notepad in his hand. "A Mr. Shikamaru, he says he'll be at home tomorrow morning if we have any more questions and I have his contact details if you want them." Another lengthy pause then he continued again. "At the moment there are no prime suspects identified." The Officer stopped talking altogether for a moment, looking down at the quiet detective who seemed to have frozen in space apart from his hand which had reached out to the lapel of his friend's shirt. "Ah…Mr. Uchiha? Do you need anything else?"

Sasuke reached up with his other hand to wave the Officer away from him but the stubborn man stayed where he was, looking over his shoulder like an over-eager puppy. Sasuke turned his head slightly to glare at the young man until he gave a sheepish smile, rubbed the back of his head and walked back into the living room. Sasuke tried to remember the man's name but it evaded him. He was sure it was Inu-something, Inuzaki maybe?

Shifting away the thought for later Sasuke focused on the item in his hand. He'd found it just poking out of the top of Neji's shirt, partly hidden away. He wouldn't have seen it except for the drop of blood that had managed to catch on the top of it. It was a piece of paper, an incongruous, white piece of paper that could make or break everything.

Feeling the excitement rising inside of him Sasuke fingered the piece of paper for a moment. He could feel it, the chase was on. With this, everything would begin properly.

"I'll find your killer Hyuuga," he promised the silent corpse next to him. "I promise, on my honour as an Uchiha, and as a member of the State Police."

Opening the piece of paper Sasuke was confused to read only two words. He cast a look in Neji's direction before scanning the words again but they were the same as they had been a moment before; just two simple words that could mean anything.

_find naruto. _

Sasuke scowled down at the piece of paper. Exactly what was a 'naruto'? Looking down at his friend again he sighed, trying to withhold his impatience as he shook his head slowly.

"Just couldn't make this easy for me could you? Sadistic bastard."

_tbc. _

a/n: so that's it for now! I'm curious to know what you think of it, please r&r (:


	2. Chapter 1

**looking at the world outside**

_by ashly_

summary: Detective Uchiha is out to find the people who killed his old partner. The enigmatic Uzumaki Naruto may hold the key to all his answers...if Sasuke can crack through his defensive shell. SasuNaru.

disclaimer: i don't claim to own Naruto because...i don't. simple enough, right?

rating: pg-13 for the moment, may go up later

a/n: warnings are all in the previous chapter. Extra warning for length maybe? it's almost twice as long as the prologue ::haha:: Unbeta'd still though :(. And no Naruto yet but he'll be making his grand appearance next chapter I promise. Thank you for all your kind words, I would reply to you all individually but I guess you'd rather read the fic right? So...onward!

**chapter one**

Sasuke had managed to catch up on a few hours of sleep before he arrived a little later outside the residence belonging to one Shikamaru Nara. He'd managed to take the details from the Officer before he left, the man had been all too happy to divulge him with all that he'd managed to learn. Sasuke should be grateful to him – but he still couldn't remember the Officer's name and it irritated him to no end.

Shaking his head slightly Sasuke tried to focus as he pressed the bell to Shikamaru's home.

Neji had lived – and those words still cut him slightly_, had lived _– in an apartment complex, one of the more expensive, upmarket ones that boasted the latest in high-tech security and balconies for those living above ground level. It was cleaned on a daily basis and there were even window boxes filled with colourful flowers and pictures littering the walls. It was one of the nicer places in Neji's neighbourhood and Sasuke knew his partner had been damned proud of where he'd lived.

When Shikamaru still hadn't answered the door after a few minutes of waiting Sasuke leant his finger against the buzzer and kept it pressed in this time.

Inside came the sounds of shuffling, then a dull thud followed by a muttered 'ouch' before the front door swung open to reveal an irritated looking face, a hand rubbing a spot on the man's head where – Sasuke presumed – he'd hit something. Sasuke held out his hand and waited patiently for the other man to take it before giving it a brief shake.

"Good morning Mr Shikamaru, I'm Detective Uchiha. I'm here to ask you some questions if that's alright, the Officer from yesterday should have told you to expect me. Can I come in?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, muttering something like 'what a nuisance' under his breath before he stood away from the door and gestured for Sasuke to go inside.

The Detective raised an eyebrow in response but silently entered, following the other man into a living room that was very similar to Neji's. If Neji had been a bit more lazy and a bit less obsessed with cleanliness. Not that the place was dirty exactly, just...out of place with everything else Sasuke had seen of the apartment complex. Neji would have hated to have everything scattered around in such a hazard matter. Hell, it made Sasuke's eyes hurt and he wasn't half as bad as Neji was – had been.

Quickly abandoning that trail of thought Sasuke focused on looking around himself. The best way to understand a witness was to get a feel for them before talking, you could discover a lot about someone from their surroundings. The most interesting part of the room that Sasuke could see was the chess set that sat in the corner of the room surrounded by large cushions, although the actual chess set itself looked slightly different from what Sasuke was used to.

The other man noticed where he was looking and gave him a small grin. "It's not a chess set, its shogi – Japanese chess. I know; everyone gets confused with it."

"I see," Sasuke replied slowly, nodded his head slightly at the other man before looking around for somewhere to sit. Shikamaru gestured to a sofa in the middle of the room and Sasuke took the silent invitation, walking over to sit down. Now that his initial examination of the room was finished he was more than ready to get this interview over and done with. At the moment he had only a few clues to go on and neither of them were solid leads. He still had yet to figure out what a 'naruto' was after all. And the other clues...well, he was getting to them.

Shikamaru went and sat down opposite him in a matching chair. The detective reached into his coat pocket and produced the standard notebook and pen, flipping to a new page and uncapping the pen before placing nib to paper. When he next looked up Shikamaru had clasped his hands together in his lap and was levelling Sasuke with a penetrative stare that made the Detective distinctly uncomfortable.

"Mr Shikamaru did you know the victim?" Sasuke asked, trying to divert that gaze. Although he knew the answer it was standard policy to always start with the easy questions before working your way up to the ones that actually mattered. So although he already knew that Neji hadn't known Shikamaru well – Neji had never mentioned the other man after all – he started with it anyway, it helped to relax the witness and open them up if you nudged them into answering.

The other man slouched back in his seat and turned his gaze upwards to…were those really wind chimes on the ceiling? Shaking his head slightly Sasuke pulled his gaze down to find Shikamaru staring at him intently again. Sasuke was really beginning to hate that stare.

"He was murdered wasn't he?" Shikamaru said. "The Hyuuga guy next door," he went on to clarify when Sasuke started, eyes widening slightly before he forcibly shook him.

Squaring his shoulders Sasuke left his pen suspended above his notepad as he gave Shikamaru a measured stare. "And why would you think that Mr Shikamaru? This is a closed case; no information had yet to be released to the public."

"We're not stupid, you know. We heard you all this morning, banging around up there. Woke me up early and then that Officer came round asking about him," the latter statement was said with a hint of accusation and Sasuke had to stifle the smirk that started. Antagonising his witness would not help matters. Still, served the arrogant bastard right, trying to test him.

"And what did the Officer say to you?" Sasuke asked, vowing to wring the younger man's neck if he'd said anything incriminating.

"Oh he just said 'have you seen the guy who lives next to you recently?'" Shikamaru gave a small grin, "He looked really nervous though. And why would a cop come round at four-thirty asking me if I'd seen my neighbour recently?" He shrugged, "Pretty easy to figure out really."

"I apologise on behalf of myself and my colleagues for disturbing your sleep Mr Shikamaru." Sasuke said, trying to get them back on topic and away from the subject of how Neji had died. "Now, onto the matter of Hyuuga's whereabouts last night, you told the other Officer that you heard him come in?"

The other man nodded, linking his hands behind his head, his gaze leaving Sasuke's to roam the room. Sasuke took the moment to quickly scrutinise the witness. He didn't seem to be nervous, his posture was very open and relaxed, perhaps too relaxed when being questioned by a member of law enforcement but everyone reacted differently to the process. He had black hair, pulled back to reveal a long face with narrow black eyes and he wore an earring in both of his ears. Sasuke wasn't sure what to make of him even when he'd finished his examination and simply kept quiet, waiting for the man to tell him what he wanted to know.

"Yeah, he came home about the usual time. Half-eleven or something, he was on the phone when he came up the stairs, having a bit of an argument so I could hear him even through the walls."

"He was having an argument?" Sasuke asked, jumping onto the piece of information with the eagerness of a hunter who'd sniffed out a particularly juicy piece of prey. "Did he say a name?"

The other man shrugged, "I said I could hear him, didn't say I could hear him clearly." Sasuke almost punched him. It took a lot of effort to refrain and he could see Shikamaru give him a small smile, as if he knew what Sasuke was struggling to contain. If he truly knew what Sasuke was holding back the other man wouldn't be so ready to test him, Sasuke was sure.

"Did you hear _anything_?" Sasuke asked, not caring at this point if he sounded rude. This interview was quickly becoming one of the most frustrating ones he had ever conducted in his career. He needed something to go on and at this point it didn't look like Shikamaru Nara was ever going to produce it.

"I guess I did hear _something_," the witness said, stressing the last word. Sasuke leaned forward slightly; pen perched on his notebook ready to write whatever the black-haired man came out with. At this moment he really would take just about anything.

"So? What did you hear?" He asked, barely resisting the urge to throttle the other man as he stayed silent. _Damn it, give me something!_

"He was yelling at someone, something about how he was going to move something." Sasuke frowned, move something? Why would he be yelling about furniture removal? Not sure if it was relevant to his case Sasuke still noted it down, looking up as Shikamaru cleared his throat importantly.

"There was something else too," he gave another of his small grin and leaned forward conspiratorially, putting their heads rather closer together than Sasuke would've liked. "Something about _drugs_."

Sasuke snapped his notepad shut and stood up, saying a quick, "Thank you Mr Shikamaru, that will be everything," before he began to make his way to the door.

"What?" Shikamaru asked slowly, watching as Sasuke walked past him. Hey wait!" The other guy said, scrambling to follow the detective. "What _is_ you problem? That's what I heard; he said it clear as anything _'You just keep your drugs away from me'_. So was he?"

Sasuke turned, levelling Shikamaru with a glare that warned the man not to proceed further. "Was he _what_?"

"You know, was he _dirty_?"

The Detective drew himself upright, looking Shikamaru evenly in the eye before he replied. "Hyuuga Neji was the most respected cop in the precinct. He would never, _never _have anything to do with drugs. You must have misheard. Now, I'd advise you not to go on any holidays, we might have more questions for you later." And he left, the door slamming shut behind.

Shikamaru looked at his door with a resigned expression. "Ah, how troublesome."

#-#

Sasuke knew Neji would never have dealt in drugs. He wouldn't. He _wouldn't_. But the witness's statement echoed in his mind as he settled back into his car. Neji had been yelling down the phone at someone – but whom? And _why _would he be talking about drugs?

"Damn it!" Sasuke muttered, letting his head drop heavily onto the steering wheel, closing his eyes and wishing it would all just go away. He wished he could just rewind the past – just a day, he only needed a day. He could refuse to go on that stupid date and spend the night with Neji instead. Hell, he'd left work early, leaving Neji with all the paperwork from yesterday on the Deidara case. The poor bastard had probably died hating his guts – which really might actually explain that ridiculously cryptic letter, the one that Sasuke still had, crumpled up in his jacket pocket.

Pulling his head up Sasuke got the piece of paper out again, smoothing out its creases and scrutinising the message again. Just what the hell did it mean?

He hadn't handed it in to evidence, he'd held onto it, ignoring Kakashi's eyes when he'd left the scene earlier. He knew Neji had meant it for him and only him. He hadn't even told anyone of its contents, keeping tight-lipped when the Sergeant had asked if he'd found anything of interest. If they'd overlooked it...that was their problem, not his.

If they found out he hadn't handed it in though...that may well be his badge. Clenching his hand into a fist Sasuke brought it down hard on the steering wheel. Well, so be it.

"Don't worry Neji, I'll figure out your damned letter and then you can go and rest in bloody peace," he uttered, roughly shoving the note back into his pocket and pulling his car out of the complex's parking lot.

His next stop was Headquarters, pulling up outside just as the clock on his dashboard read out '11:46' in its green glowing letters. He snorted, rubbing a hand over his weary face as he exited the vehicle, locking it securely behind him before he entered the building.

Sasuke's first visit at Headquarters was to Kakashi's office where he knocked briefly before entering.

The Sergeant was leaning back in his big office chair with his feet resting on the desk in front of him, reading from a small book in his left hand. His other was currently busy mindlessly signing various pieces of paperwork in front of him.

Sasuke's eyebrow rose as he entered but he went and sat down before the grey-haired man, waiting to be acknowledged before he spoke.

He didn't have long to wait, Kakashi looked at him over the top of his book, nodding to him slightly before going back to his reading.

Feeling his ire raise again Sasuke hastily shoved it back down. His anger really was becoming uncontrollable these days. He guessed it was understandable though. What person wouldn't be constantly mad if their long-time partner had been murdered the night before whilst he'd been otherwise...occupied. Except not.

He really was starting to hate that bloody girl whose name he still couldn't remember.

While he was waiting for Kakashi to say something else – Sasuke refused to talk before he received some proper attention – he studied the man's office. It was a standard room as far as the rest of Headquarters was concerned. The big oak desk, the oak bookcase, the metal filing cabinet, the small currently-dying potted plant in the corner of the room and the ugly lamp shade that gave the room a sickly yellow glow. Everything was typical of a Sergeant's room...except Kakashi's desk which was littered, not with paperwork, but with trashy books, their covers screaming the contents within with their flashy, barely-clothed cover models.

"Is there something you wanted?" Kakashi finally asked, dragging Sasuke's eyes away from a particularly sordid-looking volume to look into vaguely-amused dark eyes.

"I'm here to report my findings so far on the Hyuuga case," Sasuke replied, swallowing his first reply which was something similar to '_yes you bastard, why else would I be here?' _

"Ah, alright. Go ahead then."

Sasuke gave a brief nod before outlining what information he'd retrieved from Shikamaru. As he talked he realised just how little he'd managed to get out of the man. There wasn't much to go on and he could feel a small, black hole of despair trying to swallow him as he spoke. He knew...almost nothing.

"So what you're saying is that Hyuuga was, possibly trafficking drugs—" Kakashi started, holding up his hand to forestall any protests from Sasuke before continuing "–which you don't think is possible, which means that something else was going on which you have no clue about. Am I right?"

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists, driving them into knees and hanging his head in defeat. He knew he wouldn't be able to help Neji unless he could come up with something more concrete than what he had so far. He had Neji yelling at someone – but he didn't know who, or why, or what it was all about. He refused to believe this case was about drugs, he didn't believe – didn't _want _to believe – that Neji had died because of drugs. It just...it didn't ring true

"So what are you going to do about it?" Kakashi asked, breaking the silence that had fallen and prompting Sasuke to pull his head up in surprise.

"I...what can I do? There's nothing to go on, I don't..."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "A little bird just happened to tell me that you may have one clue you haven't looked in to properly yet. A note from the deceased even..."

"Yeah but how does Neji expect me to..." Abruptly closing his mouth Sasuke stared at Kakashi mutely. He _knew_? How could he have known about the note? And why hadn't he said anything?

Kakashi grinned at him, finally putting his book down and reaching out his hand to place it on Sasuke's head, ruffling his hair a little as he looked down at him fondly. "Your partner gave you an important clue, you need to use it Sasuke. I'm telling you this only because you don't seem to get it. You think you understand but you don't, it's not the same as truly getting it so...do you get it?" Sasuke didn't say anything, just frowned slightly at the older man. "You need to use every resource available to you." Kakashi tried to clarify. Sasuke just frowned harder before finally nodding and standing up, knocking Kakashi's hand from his head as he did so.

He moved away from the desk and was about to leave the room when Kakashi spoke up again.

"Just remember Sasuke that in this world, those who break the rules are trash, that's true, but those who abandon their comrades...are worse than trash. Even if you find something you don't like...don't forget how much Neji once meant to you." *

Sasuke nodded shortly and shut the door closed behind him.

Kakashi watched him go, feeling a strange sense of worry as the young man left his sight. "Do you really understand Sasuke? Do you?" He asked the empty room before roughly shaking his head and turning back to his book. Icha Icha Violence waited for no man after all.

#-#

Sasuke stalked the halls of Headquarters, not sure where he needed to go but letting his feet guide him. It wouldn't hinder him to go by instincts after all. He was still seething at Kakashi for knowing about the note and not telling him. And there was another thing, why hadn't Kakashi told _anyone_? Not just Sasuke but their superiors. He should have reported the detective but he hadn't and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder why even as he was glad of the fact.

"Probably just using me," Sasuke muttered as he finally stopped outside the break room. With nothing else to do Sasuke nudged the door open with his foot and entered, stopping by the coffee machine and grabbing a cup before he went to sit down quietly in the corner. He'd barely sat down before someone was yelling at him from across the room

"Detective Uchiha! I didn't know you were in today," a voice said before the Officer from the day before came bounding over the room at him. The younger man collapsed bodily into the seat next to him, letting out a sigh of happiness as he did so, face grinningly widely as he saw Sasuke turn to him. "Heh, imagine that, meeting you here of all places!"

Sasuke couldn't help the snort that left him at the idiot's words. "As far as I am aware the break room is open to everyone at the station."

"Oh yeah, I guess but you always go out with Hyuuga..." His voice trailed off and Sasuke just looked at him mutely, disbelief clear on his face. How could anyone possibly be so stupid? He just barely held back from telling the other to simply piss off, he just wasn't up to a confrontation right now, maybe after he'd finished his coffee and felt slightly more awake.

"You know," the Officer said and Sasuke suddenly remembered that his name was Kiba, Kiba Inuzuka. Neji had dealt with him once before briefly, when Sasuke had been on leave after a particularly bad case and his partner had been unable to stop telling him how annoying the other man had been, how much of a hassle it had been to keep him out of trouble and how he wouldn't shut up. Sasuke could now understand the feeling all too well.

"Detective Hyuuga was one of the nice ones, right? When we worked together he was always friendly, he even helped me with Akamaru sometimes, and once he kept him all night once because I had to work a night shift! He was an awesome guy and I know everyone will miss him a lot."

"One question," Sasuke interjected before the other could sprout any more nonsense, "What is 'Akamaru'?"

"Oh, he's my dog, he's amazing and—"

"And why should I care?" Sasuke interrupted again, sipping at his coffee as he watched the Officer's face fall at his response.

"Well, I guess you don't have to. Anyway, I came to talk to you about that note."

Sasuke stiffened. Just how many people knew about it now? Not that Kiba counted really but he seemed like a loud-mouth and if he let slip...if he'd told someone else _already _Sasuke would be heading for a meeting with the Chief.

"Look Officer Kiba, Sergeant Kakashi knows about the note. You can threaten me all you want but it won't get you anywhere," he stated firmly, watching as Kiba's eyes grew almost comically wide.

"Oh no, that's not what I meant! You see, the thing is I think I have a name for you. On the note, it said 'Naruto' right?" He stopped for confirmation and Sasuke nodded for him to continue. "Well, Hyuuga was once telling me about this kid he once knew called Uzumaki Naruto, he called him a loser but he said that Naruto saved him once. I didn't really understand what he meant but maybe this Uzumaki Naruto is the guy he wants you to find? Worth a shot right?"

Sasuke was stunned. Kiba was actually helping him? He wasn't going to turn him in? And he knew who Naruto was? Was his luck really that good?

"That's...I mean...thanks. That'll help a lot."

"And that's not all!" Kiba grinned at him, reaching into the bag on his back and pulling out a few sheaves of paper, handing them over to Sasuke who took them with a questioning gaze. Looking down at the first page he saw a picture of a young man with blond hair sitting on a bench somewhere looking at the sky. The next was printed from the police database, detailing Naruto's criminal record.

"This is...this is amazing. Where did you...I don't...thanks." Sasuke told Kiba, turning back to look at the picture of Uzumaki and committing his features to memory before he moved back to the information the police had picked up on the blond. It was all highly-classified stuff and Sasuke wondered briefly how Kiba had managed to get hold of it before shrugging off the thought. He wasn't about to question his luck.

"He's in prison you know, this Naruto guy," Kiba said, chewing on his bottom lip. "Not sure what Neji wanted you to do with him but...he seems like a real piece of work."

Sasuke nodded, eyes scanning down the page before he stood up abruptly. Kiba gave a start, moving to stand up too but Sasuke waved him down.

"Thanks you've been a big help, but now I've got to go hunt down this Uzumaki Naruto." He left the break room, making his way down the corridors before he reached the main entrance, passing by the doors and heading towards his car.

He had a lead, and a solid one at that. Now he just had to follow it all through. Which may well be easier said than done, Sasuke admitted to himself grimly as he started his car. There was only one way to find out though...

* * *

><p>an: *yeah, it's pretty much a direct quote from the series, but it fit so well I just had to use it. Hope you liked this newest chapter, Naruto and Sasuke finally meet next time! r&r please.


	3. Chapter 2

**looking at the world outside**

_by ashly_

summary:Detective Uchiha is out to find the people who killed his old partner. The enigmatic Uzumaki Naruto may hold the key to all his answers...if Sasuke can crack through his defensive shell. SasuNaru.

disclaimer:i don't claim to own Naruto because...i don't. simple enough, right?

rating: pg-13 for the moment, may go up later

a/n: warnings are all in the previous chapter. Thanks for all your comments so far, I'm glad you're enjoying it. Unbeta'd still.

**chapter two**

"I'm here to see prisoner number 3161. I'm Detective Uchiha, badge number 62538 - I rang on the way down here?"

The security guard shot him a glance, looking at the badge Sasuke held up for his attention before he waved him through the doors to his right where a prison warden stood waiting for him. "He should be in the interview room waiting for you," he said in a bored voice, going back to looking at his security cams and effectively dismissing the Detective.

Sasuke ignored the slight, too high on the emotion of something finally going _right _to care. It had only taken one call to the state prison to get permission to see Uzumaki, apparently the prisoner had been behaving recently and was allowed visitors – they found it ironic to make that visitor a cop.

Stepping away from the security guard Sasuke followed the prison warden who held the door open for him before following and locking it behind them. They walked down a long, grey corridor before the warden opened another door and showed him through into an equally grey room. "You've got an hour, after that its exercise time for the prisoners and I wouldn't want Uzumaki missing it," the warden grinned at him before stepping out and shutting the door firmly.

Sasuke stood in the entrance for a moment, just studying the room and its sole occupant for a moment before he went over to the only available chair and sat down.

The room was small, with only a metal table and two chairs in the middle of it. Uzumaki sat in the only other chair, handcuffed to the table and looking at him with curious blue eyes.

"And to what do I owe the honour, oh wonderful Detective?" The blond asked; voice dripping with sarcasm as his gaze narrowed to a glare.

Sasuke returned the heated glare with his own cool one. "Tell me about Hyuuga Neji."

"Why should I?" Uzumaki said, almost spitting the words and Sasuke flinched away, cursing himself instantly as he did so. He stilled himself immediately but not before he caught the slight grin the other man gave him at the slight motion.

"You scare so easily all the time detective? Must be hard for you, having to face all those frightening criminals all the time," Uzumaki looked like he was laughing now and Sasuke stared at him speechlessly. What the hell?

"So tell me _Detective_," Uzumaki continued, putting an unneeded emphasis on the last word. "Why should I tell you about Hyuuga Neji?" His words were as arrogant as his stance and Sasuke berated himself inwardly for letting himself be caught in such a stupid trap, trying to force the conversation back under his control.

"Because he's dead," he replied coldly and watched as Uzumaki seemed to crumple in front of him. It startled him a little, the abrupt change in the blonds' behaviour but he carried on. "He was murdered last night."

The anger seemed to be swept abruptly out of the other man as he gave Sasuke a look of disbelief. "You're lying," he said. "You have to be! Neji wouldn't...he can't be..."

"He is; he's been dead for hours now. And you're my only link to his murderer." Uzumaki seemed to be having trouble absorbing what he was being told. His eyes were wide and sightless, his fingers twitching slightly and he seemed to have developed a stutter.

"Neji dead...Neji dead...Neji dead..." He focused on Sasuke and launched himself to his feet, leaning his body over the table to get as close as possible. "He really is dead isn't he? You're not just trying to have a joke on me right? Poor prisoner Uzumaki, doesn't have enough to deal with already let's throw this on him as well? Well I'm on to you asshole!"

Sasuke let him have his tirade, waiting until the other man sat down again, his breath coming out in harsh pants before he suddenly folded back down onto the table in front of him and started bawling his eyes out.

Heaving a sigh Sasuke stood up. He really needed the prisoner to calm down so he could just get on with his questioning. This whole thing had dragged out long enough already. "Look," he started to stay, moving around and reaching out his arm to pat the blond...only to have his arm twisted behind his back and held there as Naruto breathed down his neck, "Now you need to tell me the truth Detective. Was he really killed?"

Growing angrier by the second, and cursing his own seemingly-increasing idiocy, Sasuke knocked his head back, hearing Uzumaki uttered 'fuck!' before the hold on his arm loosened and he wrenched it out of Uzumaki's reach before bringing it down hard on the other's neck, throwing the blond head down onto the table and hearing the satisfying thud as it connected.

"Don't you ever try that again," he hissed, digging his hand further into the blonds' neck when he tried to struggle away.

"Fine, fine, just let freaking-go already!" Uzumaki said, finally going limp and Sasuke pulled away, returning to his seat and watching as the other man tried to sit up and brush himself off as if he hadn't just been outmatched.

Sasuke tried again, repeating his first question. "What do you know about Hyuuga Neji?"

"Like I'm going to tell you anything, you crazy...I can't believe you just did that, I should report you!" Uzumaki half-shouted, feeling around his head gingerly and glaring heatedly at the Detective, as if daring him to deny the fact.

Sasuke gave a short bark of laughter. "I was acting purely in self-defence; everything I did was in response to your unprovoked attack." He heard Uzumaki mutter under his breath but he didn't care what the blond thought of him. He wanted answers and he wanted them n_ow. _

"You've already admitted to knowing him. I want to know how well." Sasuke said, making his voice as low and threatening as possible. "I can make life very difficult for you if you don't tell me."

Uzumaki merely smirked at him, leaning back in his chair as far as he could with his wrists still chained to the table. He raised an eyebrow arrogantly at him before replying, "You can't do anything to me that others haven't already done a hundred times before. You think you're the first hotshot Detective to try? Ha! Nowhere near _idiot._"

Sasuke could hear his teeth grinding as he clenched his jaw. He forcibly made his body relax, watching cautiously as Naruto sat forward suddenly, favouring him with a look before he said, "We can make a deal though."

"What kind of 'deal'?" Sasuke asked warily, keeping a close eye on the blond as he gave him a wide grin.

"You can get me out of here! Then I can help you bring down the bastard who killed Neji."

"I can...what?"

#-#

It was probably one of the stupidest things he'd ever done in his life. He was just caught up in the motions now as he watched Kakashi on the other side of the desk favouring him with a serious look.

He'd spent the rest of day before looking over Naruto's file more thoroughly, trying to come up with ways to get him out, searching for a loophole and he thought he'd finally had a brainwave but he'd needed Kakashi's help before he continued. Hence his current position sitting in the grey-haired man's office, waiting for his superior's reply.

"Do you know what you're asking me?" The Sergeant asked and Sasuke nodded slowly, trying to look like he had everything under control. That in truth everything was rapidly escaping him he kept to himself, watching as Kakashi brought up Naruto's file on the computer.

"You do know what he was in there for right?" Kakashi asked him. Sasuke nodded again. "And he's currently in a high security prison, how do you expect them to let him go into your custody?"

Sasuke swallowed his nerves before he answered the question, hands clenched in his lap out of sight. "I want to move him to a minimum-security prison first. This is a high-priority case, they shouldn't have any problems letting him into my custody if...if he were to be placed there first." Sasuke held still under Kakashi's incredulous gaze.

"Detective Uchiha...Uzumaki Naruto _murdered _someone."

"I know but he'll be under my direct supervision at all times." Sasuke paused, looking down at his hands before he continued in a quiet voice. "Neji told me to find him and I did. Now I need his...help, to find Neji's killer." It was a hard word to get out but Sasuke managed it, grimacing before he continued. "I need to find the guy who killed my partner." His face hardened as he finished, glaring down at the wooden oak of Kakashi's desk.

The Sergeant said nothing, just studied the young man in front of him. Sasuke looked...unhinged would probably be the best word for it. Like he didn't know what to do anymore and he was just striking out at the first thing that might work. It made Kakashi concerned, something that increased when he saw how empty and cold Sasuke's gaze was when the younger man finally looked him in the eye.

"If you don't help me get him out so help me I'll break him out of there," Sasuke promised him. "The law can go to hell, I don't care anymore."

"Now Sasuke," Kakashi said soothingly, standing up and walking over to the young man's side. He placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, one that Sasuke couldn't help tensing under. If Kakashi noticed he didn't comment on it, merely squeezed a little before his hand dropped down to his side and he heaved a sigh. "The things I do for you kids. Fine, I'll do this one thing for you, and in return...you bring in Neji's killer _in one piece_. This is not a vendetta Detective Uchiha, this is upholding the law and I will not bend it for you again."

Sasuke couldn't help the thrill of victory that cut through him or the small grin that appeared on his face. _Soon Neji_, he promised. _Soon I'll get the bastard that took you away from us._

He waited while Kakashi completed all the paperwork and then emailed it off to his high-ups, muttering under his breath about all the favours he'd have to call in. Sasuke ignored him; he knew Kakashi had more power in the station than he should have being merely a Sergeant. He should have been promoted years ago and there were rumours abound as to what he hadn't been. Sasuke privately thought the other was just too lazy to want all the extra work that came with it.

"Done," Kakashi told him, passing over a sheet of paper that Sasuke carefully took from him. At the bottom of the page was the Sergeant's rather messy scrawl of a signature, at the top was the official header for the police department and in the middle was a request form for Uzumaki Naruto to be placed into Detective Uchiha Sasuke's care.

Carefully folding it Sasuke tucked it into his coat pocket next to Neji's note, patting it down before he turned to nod at Kakashi.

"Thank you," he said, standing up and making to move when Kakashi called him to wait.

"Just...be careful. This Uzumaki could be dangerous and I have a feeling this case is going to be a difficult one for you. You'll probably uncover a lot you won't like, just know that if you ever want to talk...my door is open."

Waving off the older man's worries Sasuke left the Sergeant's office, making his way through the corridors of headquarters, heading towards the break room. There was something he'd been wanting, and needing, to find out and he had a feeling that a certain Officer would be able to help. Hoping for the best he opened the door, peering around the corner and giving the room a quick look over. Not spotting his target he backed out only to stumble over someone standing directly behind him.

"Detective Uchiha! How're you doing today? Beautiful weather this morning right?" A cheerful voice spoke into his ear, causing Sasuke to hiss in annoyance and tilt his head away.

He turned round; meeting the smiling face of Officer Kiba as the other man quickly stepped back away from his glare. "You do know it's raining Officer Kiba." He said, watching as the Officer gave him a confused look.

"Is it? Oh man, Akamaru's not going to like that." He paused for a moment before giving Sasuke another grin. "Oh well. Hey! You want to get something to eat? With...ah...me?" He broke off, Sasuke just levelling him with a stare and not speaking. "Uh, maybe another time then, I mean, if you're ever hungry?"

Sasuke dismissed the question with a careless shrug of his shoulders and instead of answering posed his own in return, "How did you find out about Uzumaki Naruto? You can't have managed to get that information on your own."

"Oh that?" Kiba replied, "I've got a friend who knows about these things. He's good with computers and stuff. Bit weird though, has this massive collection of—"

"Some of that information was classified," Sasuke interjected, watching as Kiba suddenly shut his mouth abruptly. Sasuke sighed; he should've known this would be harder than it could've been. "So your friend is...a hacker?" Sasuke demised, watching as Kiba's face took on a surprised expression before he quickly tensed up again.

"And he likes to hack into police databases? How about the FBI's?"

"Hey! He wouldn't do anything like that! He just likes to, ah, play with things."

"Like the state police database?" Sasuke replied, trying not to smirk as Kiba's face fell and he hung his head in response.

"Oh man, please don't tell. He's really a good guy and he was only helping right? He didn't go anywhere he shouldn't."

"He was on the _state police database_ Officer Kiba. That is enough to get him a prison sentence." He held up his hand when Kiba tried to talk, his face taking on a desperate edge. "But," Sasuke continued, "I won't tell anyone."

Kiba's face lit up. "Really? Oh man, that's brilliant! Thanks, Shino really is a good guy and—"

"I won't tell anyone," Sasuke repeated, talking over Kiba as if the other hadn't spoken, "If he searches for something else."

"Uh, what would you need to know?" Kiba asked uncertainly.

Sasuke merely shook his head. "I don't want to say it aloud so I've written it down for him. Just tell him I need the information with me within the next forty-eight hours. Here's my email address, I assume your hacker friend knows how to send an email?" At Kiba's eager nod Sasuke handed over the small piece of paper and watched as Kiba shoved it into his pocket.

"I'm not sure if he'll be able to do it but..." Kiba shrugged. "I'll ask him for you."

Sasuke smirked and nodded in Kiba's direction. "That's all I wanted Officer Kiba." He said before walking away, leaving the young man staring after him, a look of bewilderment clear on his face.

#-#

"You sure take your time you know, stupid Detective," Uzumaki was muttering as settled down into Sasuke's car.

"Shut up and put your seatbelt on," Sasuke replied, all the while keeping his eyes averted from the other man. The blond was still wearing that horrible orange prison uniform; Sasuke couldn't understand how anyone could have ever designed such an obnoxious thing. There was no way he could walk around with Uzumaki looking like that.

"We're going to my place first," he informed the blond, starting up his car and reversing out of the prison entrance. The gate guard waved to him as he left and he rolled his eyes as Naruto almost fell out of the window to wave back at the startled man.

"Oi, get back in the car _idiot_." He snapped, using the electric buttons next to him to wind the window up, forcing Uzumaki to sit back into his seat with a pout.

"Are all detectives this boring or is it just you?" The blond asked and Sasuke sighed, not answering as he tried to get home as fast as possible without speeding. It was going to be a long ride.

Thankfully Uzumaki seemed to have realised that Sasuke wasn't a great conversationalist and there was silence in the car for a while before the blond reached over and turned the radio on. Rock music screamed loudly from the speakers and Sasuke hurriedly turned it off again, levelling one of his glares on the sheepish looking blond before turning back to the road.

"Do _not _touch anything, this car is worth more than your life," Sasuke told him sharply, watching in the mirror as the other man actually stuck his tongue out at him in response. And this man had managed to kill someone? What he had done, sat on him until the victim suffocated? Sasuke abruptly dismissed that thought; he'd seen how dangerous Naruto could be in the interview room, still...

"Impossible," he muttered, concentrating on just driving and ignoring his temporary companion.

The rest of the drive passed peacefully and Sasuke was soon parking in front of his house and trying to ignore Uzumaki's open-mouthed look of wonder. He was halfway up the pathway leading to the door when he realised that the blond was still standing by the car looking fairly bewildered.

"Are you coming?" He asked and Uzumaki's gaze snapped back to him accusingly.

"You can't be a detective," the prisoner stated. "How could you afford...afford _that,_" he waved wildly at the house, "If you were just a detective? You couldn't!"

Sasuke sighed, taking out his keys and opening the door, pushing it open and stepping into the entranceway. He waited for Naruto to follow, watching as the blond dithered by the door for a while before he finally entered and the detective uttered a sigh of relief. The other man hadn't bolted at the first chance of escape. That was a good sign of how this would all play out.

Nodding sharply to the blond he turned around and showed the other man into his kitchen, knowing that Uzumaki followed close behind, only stopping still on the threshold as he gave the room a dubious look before entering.

The kitchen had always reminded Sasuke of a hospital, it was almost clinical in its appearance with plain white paint on the walls and stainless steel everywhere else. There was a half-island in the middle with stools on either side, a massive fridge in one corner and a countless number of drawers and cupboards, most of which didn't actually contain anything. Sasuke was only one person and he had never been home enough to properly fill all the space he had.

The detective would be the first to admit that his house wasn't much a home. It was a place he came to eat and sleep. When Neji had been alive he'd spent most of his evenings and free time over in his partner's apartment, relaxing on his couch and being subjected to various pieces of classical music. His house was just too big and empty and, although Sasuke would never admit it, he just got a bit lonely sometimes. He'd only half admitted that fact to himself once when Neji had asked him where his family was and Sasuke had told him, in no uncertain terms, that the subject was 'out of bounds'. Neji had never asked again.

Watching Uzumaki walk around his kitchen gave Sasuke a strange feeling in his stomach. He decided it was probably hunger as he pulled out pots and pans, gathering ingredients from the fridge and putting them down on the side next to the hob. It most definitely was _not _longing, he told himself grimly, looking up to find the blond grinning at him. Surely he couldn't be that desperate for company?

"So you can cook Detective?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke grunted as he began cracking eggs into a glass bowl.

"Huh?"

"My name, it's not 'Detective', it's Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke could almost see the blond working to compute this information in his brain before his face finally lit up and he pointed at Sasuke.

"So, Sasuke, what're you making us?"

Sasuke twitched. He hadn't meant for the prisoner to use his first name, although if they were going to play at that game...He smirked. "Well, _Naruto_, I can only make a couple of things. An omelette is one of them, so guess what we're going to eat?"

The blond huffed, although Sasuke wasn't sure if it was in response to his use of Uzumaki's – Naruto's – first name, or his question. Or it could be a little of both, Sasuke decided as the blond threw himself down onto one of the stools. He sat, his elbows resting on the table and holding his head in his hands as he started quizzically at the detective.

"You know, you're not very typical for a detective," he finally commented.

Sasuke merely gave another grunt in reply, focusing on blending the eggs, adding pepper and salt and ignoring Naruto's exclamations of disgust. Leaving the eggs on the side he grabbed a pan and put it onto the hob, adding butter and oil and swirling it around.

"Normal detectives wouldn't deal with prisoners you know," Naruto continued, as if Sasuke wasn't doing his utmost to ignore him.

"There were special circumstances," Sasuke uttered, adding the eggs to a pan and leaving it for the moment. He turned to look at Naruto instead. "Neji was my partner," he explained.

He couldn't find the words to describe Naruto's expression after he uttered those words; he looked distressed and so utterly miserable that Sasuke was afraid he would start crying again like in the interview room. It was a strange mixture and then the expression left and Sasuke could see the concern on his face as Naruto gave him a small smile. "Neji was a good guy," he said and Sasuke had to hold himself as still as possible so he didn't reach out and punch the blond in the face.

He couldn't believe Naruto was actually trying to comfort him, _him_. He didn't need anyone comforting him, he needed information. Information Naruto still hadn't given him.

"Yeah, well, after this is all done you're going straight back to prison. You might even get to be cellmates with his murderer," Sasuke told him

He ignored the blonds' spluttering, turning back to his cooking before he finally dished them both out, taking his plate and Naruto's and placing them down onto the half-island, studiously ignoring the man currently glaring at him darkly.

"Bastard Sasuke," Naruto muttered before shovelling a forkful of omelette into his mouth.

There was blessed quiet then as the both of them focused on eating. Sasuke wasn't sure but he thought Naruto was actually trying to _race _him at one point and it made him eat faster than usual, finishing just as Naruto swallowed his last mouthful.

"Hey you're not a bad cook, you know, for an asshole," Naruto said after as Sasuke collected their plates and put them in his dishwasher. The detective nodded his head at other man in acknowledgment, ignoring the last comment.

After he'd made sure the machine was running correctly the detective made to leave the room, making sure the blond was following suit before he made his way out of the kitchen. He called over his shoulder as they started up the stairs to his bedroom, "We're going to get you a change of clothes before I'm forced to gorge my eyes out."

Naruto laughed, "And wouldn't _that _be a shame."

Sasuke replied seriously, "It would. I can't find Neji's killer if I'm blind." Naruto soon stopped laughing and it was a sober blond who finally entered Sasuke's bedroom after him.

"So this is where you sleep?" Naruto asked and Sasuke nodded quickly, crossing the large expanse of cream carpet and stopping before his large wardrobe. It was one of those with slide doors where the front was compromised of a large mirror and Naruto looked at in disgust.

"How can you be such a _girl _Sasuke?" He asked, moving to stand beside him and making faces at his reflection.

"How can you be such an _idiot _Naruto," Sasuke replied, shoving the blond out of the way as he pulled the wardrobe open, reaching in and taking out a plain shirt and a pair of jeans.

Naruto took them with a sudden look of unease, "You do know these won't fit me. Not that you're taller than me but..."

Sasuke gave him a look and Naruto put his hands up in surrender. "Fine," he sighed, reaching down to start unbuttoning his jumpsuit.

Sasuke yelped. Actually _yelped _and the sound was enough to make Naruto stop dead and stare at him, his shirt gaping open at the top.

The detective's cheeks were a light shade of pink and he averted his gaze from Naruto, ducking his head down. The blond took a step forward and Sasuke took a step back. Naruto smirked.

"What's wrong Sasuke? Afraid of a bit of skin?" He laughed, leaning closer and forcing Sasuke to retreat again. The detective glared at him from under his hair.

"Whatever," he said, turning abruptly and stalking from the room. "You get changed and I'll meet you downstairs where we can talk." He tossed over his shoulder just before the door closed behind him.

Naruto sighed as he was left behind. He hadn't meant to make the detective angry at him. Damn it, now he was going to be all huffy with him and Naruto needed to get on his good side if he wanted any hope of finding Neji's killer. He'd resigned himself to the fact that he'd have to help the detective to do it but he didn't much care about that. He just wanted to get the bastard that had killed Neji...And he worried at the same time. With Neji dead...there were so many important things that would now be in jeopardy.

Shaking his head roughly the blond quickly changed into the clothes Sasuke had given him, leaving his prison clothes in an orange puddle at his feet as he left the room and made his way downstairs quickly.

He didn't want keep the irate detective waiting after all...

_Tbc..._

a/n: Hope you liked it, their first meeting (: anyway, r&r as usual, thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 3

**looking at the world outside**

_by ashly_

summary:Detective Uchiha is out to find the people who killed his old partner. The enigmatic Uzumaki Naruto may hold the key to all his answers...if Sasuke can crack through his defensive shell. SasuNaru.

disclaimer:i don't claim to own Naruto because...i don't. simple enough, right?

rating:pg-13 for the moment, may go up later

a/n: warnings are all in the previous chapter. Short chapter this time and...unbeta'd still. Sorry it's out so late! I was decorating my bedroom last week and the plaster fell off their wall so we had to get someone to come in and plaster it all again, and then the wires had to come out of the walls and just...complete nightmare. But it's here finally and I got Sasuke and Naruto to sleep together to make it up to you all ::haha:: enjoy! (:

**chapter three**

"Why are all your clothes so...blue?" Naruto asked. "You don't get enough of it at work so you wear it at home too?"

Sasuke scowled up at the blond from where he was sitting, "I happen to _like _the colour blue, idiot." He replied shortly, watching as the other man seemed to size up his living room before shrugging and dropping down to sit next to him on the three-man-sofa. Right next to him when there were plenty of other places he could have gone.

Heaving a sigh Sasuke ignored the threat to his personal space and instead focused on the laptop open in front of him. He'd started it up as soon as he got downstairs, partly as a way to forget recent, disturbing experiences, but also to see if Kiba's friend Shino had contact him.

He had.

The message read simply:

_I have been told by Officer Kiba to contact you. I will send you the information you need through different means. Why you ask? Because this line is not secure, what I do is not legal and I do not wish to be caught. Because what you are doing now is equally illegal I will help you to keep this a secret. That is all. _

_Shino. _

He spent the next few minutes going through all the email addresses he'd ever used, finding them all empty. Oh he had emails but none of them were relevant, or useful. He couldn't understand how this Shino expected him to get his information if not through email. Sasuke could feel his eyebrow twitch as he shut the lid of his laptop, disbelief filling him. Was that really it?

"You know Sasuke," Naruto said, poking him in the shoulder. Sasuke glared at him irritably, shifting further along the sofa but Naruto merely following him, poking him again. Sasuke pulled away, uttering a sharp 'What!'

Naruto merely grinned at him, lifting up his laptop screen and pointing into the corner. "You have a virus."

"I don't have a...a bloody virus. Why do I have to deal with this as well as everything else?" Sasuke muttered, clicking on the small balloon pop-up. Instead of his usual anti-virus program starting up though his screen went black.

Sasuke was just beginning to panic when words suddenly began scrolling across the screen.

'Are you alone?' The neon green letters read, flashing across the screen before disappearing again. Another sentence followed, this one saying, 'Not that you need to be alone. I will be giving you the information you want shortly. If you do not want anyone else to see it I advise you to close the lid now.'

Sasuke looked at Naruto out of the corner of his eye, watching the look of astonishment on the blonds' face. Did he really want him to see this? It might be nothing but...it could mean everything and he wasn't sure yet that he trusted the blond. Not entirely anyway. Not that it mattered much, he decided. The blond would soon find out everything, being that Sasuke wasn't going to let him out of his sight which meant taking him everywhere. He knew this whole thing was going to bite him in the ass somehow eventually.

"Well, Sasuke? Do you want me to leave?"Naruto said, giving him a look so full of meaning that Sasuke knew he didn't stand a chance of discovering it all.

"No, you can stay, "he finally said, settling back in his seat and angling the laptop slightly in Naruto's direction. He knew it was the right thing to say when the blond nodded at him decisively and copied his posture, both of them waiting for another message to come up.

They didn't have long to wait.

'Just in case you forgot, this is Shino, Kiba's friend. I am here to give information to Detective Uchiha about his old partner Hyuuga Neji who was murdered at twelve-thirty last night. Detective Uchiha is in charge of his case.' Sasuke rolled his eyes. He knew all of this already, why was the idiot repeating things he was all-to aware of?

'Kiba says to tell you Akamaru says 'hi'.' Sasuke almost threw the laptop across the room.

'That was a joke.' He could feel his fingers clenching around the plastic casing as Naruto stifled a laugh and he threw a glare in the blonds' direction. Naruto fell quiet again after.

'Now for your information; that is, the information you requested about Hyuuga Neji's latest cases. Before he was murdered Detective Hyuuga worked on two cases, the fraud investigation against a 'Deidara', the accused was sentenced for producing copies of famous art pieces. The other was the stalker charge filed against Kabuto Yakushi, who was later acquitted. He was working on another two cases prior to his death.'

Sasuke felt his attention sharpen as the words disappeared. This was it; this was what he had wanted to know. Neji had been particularly secretive in the days leading up to his death and Sasuke wanted – no, he _needed _to know what his partner had been trying to hide from him. They'd been partners but just recently they'd both been working on different cases. The Deidara case was the last one they'd been on together –it was that case's paperwork that Sasuke had left Neji with on the night of his death. The case had been a pain from beginning and end and Sasuke and Neji both had been glad to see the end of it.

Naruto tensed up beside him when the screen started flashing and both of them leaned forward slightly, waiting impatiently for the words to come back.

'Sorry to make you wait. This is Shino again in case you were wondering.'

"Get on with it you bastard," Sasuke growled under his breath, Naruto giving a firm nod next to him. It was the first time they had agreed on anything since he had met the blond but Sasuke let the moment pass him, focusing on the words as they began to appear again.

'Neji's last case was involving Sabaku Gaara and the Akatsuki.'

"No...why would he become involved with _them,_" Naruto hissed, "This Shino guy must have got his information wrong."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him but Naruto shook his head, gesturing to the screen at the words that were still scrolling across it.

'Sabaku Gaara is a known drug dealer, he goes by 'Kazekage' and its rumoured he owns a club in the West District. Neji was investigating both Gaara's actions and his club before his death. I do not have much information on the Akatsuki other than that they are a gang suspected of many various crimes, from drug dealing, to prostitution and murder. None of their members have ever been convicted however.'

The words stopped after that and both Naruto and Sasuke stared at the screen in silence before Sasuke suddenly set the laptop aside and shifted around to look at Naruto.

"I think it's time you tell me what you know Naruto," he said, waiting for the other to turn to him.

"The Akatsuki...Neji would never deal with them," Naruto replied reverently. "Never! Neji he...the Akatsuki are a gang made up of monsters!" The bond continued, getting more and more worked up as he spoke, his fists clenched and his eyes narrowed almost to slits. "Neji should've known it would be dangerous...he should've _known..._"

Sasuke gave the other man a few minutes to calm down before he posed another question. "Naruto...who are the Akatsuki?"

"I just told you!" Naruto almost shouted back at him, his blue eyes alight with his rage; his cheeks tinged a dark red. "They're villains, monsters, _beasts_. There isn't a word horrible enough in the dictionary to describe them."

"Right; and how did Neji know these monsters?" Sasuke asked, knowing that he wasn't going to get much out of the blond almost as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

Naruto seemed to close in on himself, his blue eyes becoming shuttered and his whole body seemed to grow smaller as he shrank back away from Sasuke. "He _used_ to know them." Naruto stressed, pulling up his knees and burying his face between them. "It shouldn't have anything to do with this, it all happened years ago."

"Anything Neji was involved with has bearings on this case Naruto," Sasuke told the blond, tugging on a piece of hair and forcing the other to look at him. "And I won't have you keeping information on me."

"You don't need to know!" Naruto insisted.

"I'll decide that," Sasuke replied, before abruptly standing up and putting the laptop away before stretching out his limbs. "I think it's time we sleep for now though. We have a big day tomorrow after all."

"We...do?" Naruto asked uncertainly. Sasuke smirked at him in reply as he started up towards his bedroom.

"Oh yeah, because tomorrow we're going to hunt down a drug lord." _And tomorrow you're going to tell me what you know about the Akatsuki_, Sasuke promised himself.

#-#

"How many rooms do you have in this stupid house bastard Sasuke? Why do I still have to sleep with you?" Sasuke spluttered at Naruto's words, looking up from where he was spreading bedding down onto the floor.

"We're not sleeping together!" He denied; grabbing a couple of pillows from his bed and throwing them down on top of the futon and blanket he'd already placed there. "You're going to sleep there," he said, pointing at the pile, "And I'm sleeping in my bed, _not _with you."

Naruto folded his arms, scowling at the dark-haired man. "Why do I have to sleep on the floor?"

"Because I don't trust you enough to let you out of my sight, so it's either on the floor or in prison," Sasuke replied, smirking as the blonds' expression only got darker. He looked like he'd stomp his foot at any moment and Sasuke breathed in the feeling of victory before he made his way over to his en-suite bathroom.

Whilst he was going through the motions to get ready Sasuke took time to really examine his thoughts on the blond just outside. He was...strange, Sasuke decided. Unlike any prisoner he'd ever taken in, especially one who had been convicted on a murder charge. He had to wonder who it was that Naruto had murdered, sure he knew the name of the guy but not his relation to the blond. There just wasn't enough information on the other man to make a proper deduction. But there had to be a reason why the blond had tried – and succeeded – in killing someone, there was always a reason...And there had to be a reason why he didn't feel at all scared to be in a room with a convicted murderer.

Dragging the bristles of his toothbrush back and forth across his teeth Sasuke stared at his reflection, taking in his pale complexion, the dark circles under his eyes and the blank expression in his eyes. Spitting out his toothpaste he heaved a sigh and put his toothbrush away.

He knew he wouldn't be able to keep going like this. Everything had been rushing forward at such a pace that he hadn't had time to stop yet and just think. He knew he would have to soon but until then...

"Neji..." he said, letting his head fall to rest against the coolness of the mirror. He clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth and letting the emotions roll off him. He stood like that for a while, letting himself just lean over the sink, fingers digging into the porcelain bowl.

"Oi, Sasuke! How long are you gonna take to go? Some of us out here have needs too you know!"

Rolling his eyes skyward Sasuke backed away from the sink, yanking the door to the bathroom open and balking immediately at the sight that greeted him.

"What...what the hell are they?" He demanded, gesturing in a general downward direction, his finger ending up somewhere in the vicinity of Naruto's crotch.

"These? They're called underwear idiot," Naruto smirked at him, leaning against the door jamb and jutting his hips out slightly. "Who would've thought the genius detective wouldn't know some underwear when he saw them."

Sasuke growled warningly, "Those..._things _are not underwear, they're an eyesore. And why are they orange!"

Naruto shrugged, making his way past Sasuke into the bathroom. "Well, they matched the jumpsuit and I _like _orange okay, just like your little obsession with the colour blue – which is really boring by the way."

"Shut up idiot," Sasuke replied, heaving a sigh as he made his way over to the bed, pulling off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt, letting both drop to the floor. He'd deal with it all tomorrow; he was just so bone-weary of everything right now. He was tempted to just collapse onto the bed and let sleep take him but he felt too much on edge to stay still. So he started to pace the room, trying to sort out the thoughts in his head.

So far he'd managed to interrogate one unwilling witness, asked someone to hack into a police database, and he'd cooked dinner for a prisoner that he'd managed to get free. Not bad for two days work.

He could feel himself getting father and father away from his comfort zone but he couldn't find a way to stop it now. He'd freed Naruto so he was here to stay – at least until he'd outlasted his usefulness. He'd already asked Shino to get the information for him, so he was officially backing a hacker who'd managed to get into the police databases.

It made his head hurt. He was a member of the police and he'd broken so many of the laws he was supposed to be upholding he was probably more at risk of being sent to prison than Naruto was of being putting back in.

"Hey, chill Sasuke, we'll get the guy who killed Neji, don't worry." Naruto said from behind him, coming over and wrapping his arms around Sasuke's neck. He could feel the other man leaning against him and he stiffened immediately, not used to so much physical contact. Especially because the other man was essentially naked, and Sasuke could feel the warmth from the other man's back sinking into his bare skin. It made him shiver and he had to shake his head to stop the thought that it was actually _nice_. It definitely wasn't, and damn it the blonds' hair was tickling his neck. And he was a _murderer_ damn it. Cops did not get cosy with criminals.

"I promise Sasuke, that I'll the find the bad guy for you, I won't let you down!" Naruto told him with conviction, his hair brushing against Sasuke's chin as he nodded.

Rolling his eyes Sasuke grabbed the blonds' arm and used his weight against him as he threw the other bodily over his shoulder onto his make-shift bed. "Don't touch me," he said coldly. The blond raised his hands in surrender, blue eyes glinting with...something that Sasuke was sure he didn't want to know. Going over to his bedside table Sasuke grabbed his cuffs and before Naruto had time to move had the man's arms pinned behind his back.

"Because I don't want you getting any ideas while I'm asleep," he explained as he attached the cuffs to the blonds' hands. "Just go to sleep, we'll talk in the morning," he said, finally moving himself over to his own bed and settling down under the covers, ignoring the blonds' muffled sounds of outrage.

Closing his eyes he almost sighed as the cool silk slid over his skin. They felt wonderful against his heated skin, although why he felt hot in the first place he couldn't say.

Frowning to himself Sasuke reached over and pushed a button by the side of his bed. The room went instantly dark as all the lights were extinguished and Sasuke felt a moment of uneasiness when he realised he could no longer see the irritating blond head poking out from beneath the covers below him.

"Good night detective, see you in the morning," the blond yawned and Sasuke could now see the covers moving where Naruto was obviously settling in to get comfortable.

The detective fell asleep that night with a small smile on his face. Although he would rather kill the blond than tell him it was because of his company, his presence making everything slightly less lonely. It was...strangely nice.

#-#

"No...Hyuu...ga...I won't do it...no...Neji!"

The voice woke Sasuke from a deep sleep. He struggled awake, pushing aside the remnants of whatever dream he'd been having and sitting upright in his bed, looking around blearily for the disturbance.

His eyes could just make out the shape of Naruto on the floor, twisting around in his blankets and battling imaginary demons.

Debating what to do Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to go to sleep again until he dealt with the blond. Crawling across his bed he dropped down beside Naruto's side, reaching out to grab his shoulders.

Naruto's head came up and banged against his and, growing angrier by the second Sasuke began to shake the blond roughly, growling when the other man only struggled harder, his words turning into whimpers now. He could feel Naruto shaking under him and he had to wonder just what kind of dream he could be experiencing to have turned into such a wreck even in sleep.

"Oi, idiot! Wake up!" He yelled, shaking the blond again and waiting for the other to respond. He could see Naruto's eyelids flickering and the shivering had finally stopped.

The blond gave a heaving groan and finally his eyes opened to reveal a dazed-looking blue that stared up at Sasuke's face without really seeing him.

"I'm...sorry Neji," the blond said and the detective could see tears cascading down the blonds' face now.

Sasuke did something he hadn't done in many years then. He grabbed Naruto's shoulders and brought him up tight against his body, encasing his arms around the blond as he cried.

His shoulders shook with the force of his cries and his tears were falling against Sasuke's now-wet skin, his sobs sounding loud in the detective's ears. Sasuke kept silent through it all, bearing the blonds' weight when he went limp against him, all his strength seeming to have left.

Sasuke found himself rubbing the blonds' back soothingly and uttering words of comfort. He had a brief moment to himself whilst his body worked for him to think about why he was doing all this. After all Naruto was still a _murderer_ and the only thing Sasuke wanted from him was information, so why did he feel the need to help the other man? He knew the answer even as the blond breathed it against his neck.

"Neji..."

His partner, their link. He couldn't help himself; he knew how the blond felt, that missing part that had been ripped from him viciously. The part that he feared he would never get back, even if he managed to find Neji's killer and put him in chains and locked him behind bars.

He just...felt lost. And to know that Naruto felt the same...It was strange, knowing that they were both lost together.

So he had to help him, because he couldn't help himself and he felt useless enough already without adding to it by ignoring the blonds' pain.

"You finished yet idiot?" He said, his voice coming out gentle even as he tried to maintain some distance between them.

He could feel the blond nodding against him before he finally pulled away. Sasuke looked into his red-rimmed eyes, his drawn face and knew his own would be similar. He hadn't cried, he hadn't cried since _that day _but for Neji...for Neji he'd cry out a damned river if he could.

"Sorry about that, I'm good now," Naruto told him, giving a brave grin and moving slightly so he wasn't resting quite so heavily against Sasuke.

Sasuke felt a moment of coldness as the blond moved away before he firmly squashed it.

"Good, can you go back to sleep?"

The blond nodded. "I'll try."

Sasuke took that for an affirmative and moved back into his own bed, shivering in the cold covers and watching as Naruto moved around, struggling to get comfortable. He had a moment of regret for what he was going to do before he pulled the covers back. "Get in here," he said roughly, turning around and closing his eyes, his body tense as he waited to see what the blond would do.

There was stillness for a moment and then the bed dipped next to him as Naruto slid under the covers. There was a slight tug as he squirmed around trying to get into as good a position as he could with the handcuffs on and then...silence.

Sasuke wouldn't have been able to explain the feeling that came upon him when he felt Naruto's warmth against his back, but whatever the feeling was it was the one that nestled around him as he drifted off into one of the deepest sleeps he had in many years, the blond snoring slightly behind him.

_tbc._

a/n: you didn't _really_ think I'd have them sleep together did you? This is as close as you're going to get for a while I'm afraid, r&r please and thank you!


End file.
